The invention relates to a system with a control unit for controlling at least one air nozzle, which is used in, for example, a motor vehicle, a passenger compartment, a load compartment or a vehicle driver cabin of a land, air or water vehicle. Such an air nozzle comprises a plurality of components such as, for example, longitudinal and transverse slats for influencing the air which flows out of the air nozzle and sometimes at least one closure flap which is arranged in the air feed tract of the air nozzle to interrupt, prevent or throttle the supply air flow.
In addition, air nozzles with separate slat blocks arranged at an angle relative to one another are known, wherein slats arranged parallel to and usually equidistantly from one another are present in the slat blocks or are mounted in the slat block to be rotatable about an axis. The slats of the individual slat blocks are coupled together in such a way that in each instance these can be adjusted in common, i.e. rotated about an axis.
An air nozzle with slats with at least one setting element, which is operable by way of a drive, for regulating the air flow, particularly for a ventilating system of a motor vehicle, is known from DE 10 2004 046 059. The setting element has a plurality of slats. At least one further setting element is actuable by way of a drive of the setting element.
A throttle device for air throughput through an air inlet is disclosed by DE 10 2012 101 175 A1. This throttle device for air throughput serves for use in coachwork of a motor vehicle. At least one pair of constrainedly controlled flaps, which are pivotable in opposite sense and which in one pivot setting let the air flow past without hindrance and in another setting close the air inlet, are provided, the flaps being able to be brought into intermediate settings. The flaps can be mechanically actuated by hand by a user or, however, actuated by way of an electric-motor drive.
An air nozzle with a spherical actuating device is known from DE 20 2009 011 085 U1. The air nozzle serves for conducting air flows, particularly for heating, air-conditioning and ventilating installations in motor vehicles. The air nozzle comprises at least one housing with horizontal and/or vertical air guide means pivotably arranged therein. In addition, a setting device for pivotation of the air guide means is known. Pivotation of the air guide means can be carried out mechanically by a user or, however, by means of an electric motor.
A setting device, particularly for setting at least one setting element of at least one air outflow means as well as at least one setting element of at least one air control element in at least one air guide channel in a housing of heating or an air-conditioning equipment in a motor vehicle, is known from DE 10 2004 002 363 A1. The setting device is equipped with control apparatus with at least one operating element and with at least two elements for transmission of movements of the operating element to the control element. At least one setting element of the air outflow means or at least one setting element of the air flow control element is actuable by the at least one operating element of the control apparatus.
A device and a method for user-specific setting of functions and/or apparatus internally of a vehicle are known from DE 10 2005 042 830 A1. A respective user-specific data set for at least one user, which data set includes at least one personal user profile of the user, is stored in the memory of a computer unit internal to a vehicle and/or in a portable memory unit. The user is identifiable at least on the basis of a personal identification, wherein functions and/or apparatus internal to the vehicle can be automatically configured specifically to user by means of the personal user profile, and at least the part, which comprises the personal user profile, of the user-specific data set can be encoded and can be decoded only after successful identification of the user, which takes place by means of the personal identification thereof.
A memory device for a user profile is known from DE 10 2005 018 078 A1. The user profile can be used for a plurality of electronic devices or functions in a motor vehicle and serves the purpose of providing, in a vehicle, data corresponding with the user profile without a user having to undertake corresponding settings. The user profile can be used in different vehicles through storage in the memory device.
A method for adapting a content for occupants of a vehicle during vehicle travel is known from DE 10 2010 015 742 A1. The method comprises the steps of determining a vehicle mode of the vehicle and determining suitable contents for the occupants on the basis of the vehicle mode. The vehicle mode represents one or more characteristics of the vehicle travel.
A system for customer-specific vehicle settings is known from DE 10 2005 021 541 A1. The system comprises a control unit which is adapted so as to communicate with a vehicle input point and with a vehicle auxiliary device. The system additionally comprises a data storage device in communication with a control unit for storing and retrieving electronic audio data for customized sounds which are related to actuation of the vehicle input source. The data storage device is, in addition, suitable for the purpose of storing and retrieving non-audio electronic data for customized settings for the vehicle auxiliary device. The memory unit is adapted so as to communicate at least with an input device for downloading the audio and non-audio data stored in the data of the data storage device.
A seating position control device for a vehicle is known from DE 10 2007 000 182 A1. The seating position control device has a lateral direction actuator for movement of a position of the vehicle seat in a lateral direction of the vehicle, a rotational direction actuator for moving the position of the vehicle seat in a rotational direction of the vehicle, a movement state identification device for identification of a movement state of the vehicle, and a lateral direction drive control device for movement of the position of the seat in the lateral direction of the vehicle by driving the lateral direction actuator on the basis of the movement state of the vehicle, which is identified by the movement state identification device.
A method for personalisation of a vehicle function is disclosed by DE 10 2012 020 614 A1. The method comprises the steps of determining a first identification of a first vehicle user on the occasion of sitting for the first time in a vehicle, detecting information about actuation of a function of the first vehicle by the vehicle user, generating an association of the detected information with the determined first identification and storing the association at least also outside the first vehicle.
WO 2007/004984 A1 discloses a control for vehicle settings, in which, after insertion of a driver card in a tachograph, user-specific settings for travel operation are undertaken. For that purpose, the tachograph is connected with control units of a vehicle.
It is disadvantageous in the known prior art that the components of an air nozzle or of a plurality of air nozzles, which is or are present in the motor vehicle and serve for ventilating the interior space of the motor vehicle, and the bus systems incorporated in a motor vehicle are not provided for the purpose of direct activation of the control of subsidiary components in the passenger compartment, such as air nozzles or components of air nozzles. There is also no provision for controlling, by way of a central control unit and a data arrangement via a bus system, the activation of an air nozzle or of components of an air nozzle and at the same time for storing the setting so that a setting, once selected, setting can be reset later. A central controlling of air nozzles or components of air nozzles and storage of setting parameters and setting positions of components of an air nozzle or of an air nozzle itself otherwise lead to overloading of the bus system with subsidiary components and to increased data traffic on the bus, which is not desirable.
Consequently, setting of the components or air guide means of air nozzles is, for the most part, primarily carried out directly by a user by way of mechanical setting means. Setting of the air guide means and/or further components of an air nozzle by way of a central control unit was not previously taken into consideration and, moreover, the bus system present in the motor vehicle was, as mentioned, loaded and to a degree overloaded with other data communication.